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Neon Moon
prologue

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❛ i love everything you do.
when you call me fucking dumb
for the stupid shit i do. ❜
— training wheels, melanie martinez

                    A BREATH OF AIR. His fingers entangled with her bronze locks, her hands fisted inside his t shirt. The moon hung over their heads, pale blue drowned out by the harsh overhead light by her front door. Their bodies impossibly close, mouths latched in a hot, passionate kiss.

          Her lungs ached for air. Her scalp tingled uncomfortably from his grip. His fingers pressed harder into the flesh of her hip, pulling her that much closer. "Seth," she breathed out, detaching their lips with reluctance. His mouth followed the curve of her jaw tenderly, his hand moving to hold her face. She huffed at his lack of response. Unlatching her hand from his shirt, she pressed her palm firmly against the plane of his chest. A noise of annoyance sounded from the back of his throat.

          "Seth, my dad is going to kill you," she tried to explain, reason with the touchy boy. Instead, it only seemed to spur him forward. His hips pinned her to the surface of the door, eliciting a surprised gasp. He took her slack mouth as an invitation to reattach their lips. His tongue hurriedly explored her mouth, fingers closing around her jaw.

          A warmth spread beneath her clammy skin. Their proximity shielded her from the cool night air. She sighed into his touch, ignoring the nerves that swelled inside her chest. Her fingers drug through his wavy hair, her chest connecting with his. She tilted her head just enough to deepen the kiss further.

A kiss so passionate, witnessed only by the stars and moon. Their heartbeats aligned perfectly, tied together by a mere scarlet string. She lived for moments like this, with him and no one else. Moments where they were the only people in the world. Moments where they could forget the impending doom that came along with adulthood. Moments where nothing else mattered but the love in the others' eyes.

Their moment shattered as a knock sounded from the door. It thumped against her back. Seth was quick to pull away, lips bitten and pink, chest heaving as his lungs welcomed the oxygen being sucked down his throat. Her eyes widened, face alit in embarrassment. His eyes flitted toward the closed curtains, but he knew. He knew that her father had witnessed their moment, a moment he so desperately loved to keep secret.

"Oh, my God," she breathed out, hands smoothing over her feverish face. "I tried to warn you—" He breathed out a sigh, letting his forehead meet hers. His weight shifted just slightly, keeping her firmly pressed to the door. Confusion swept over her features as she hid behind her hands. She couldn't see him, he was up too close. "Are you okay?" she whispered, allowing the back of her finger to graze the skin of his cheekbone.

It had felt like hours since she had last heard his voice. It tickled her eardrums pleasantly, sweeping through her brain. "You know I love you, right?" he asked her. A furrow creased between his bushy brows. She drew in a shaky breath. Her heart began to thump harder against the cage beneath her skin. Thump, thump, thump. The sound grew exponentially quicker, louder in her ears.

Until it was smothered by his hands over her ears. He had pulled away from her now, just far enough to where she could focus on his eyes. She drank in the warmth of them. "I need to know," he whispered. "I need to know that you know I love you."

"Of course I do," she blurted out, hands grasping at his t shirt. The urge to taste him once more flooded her mind. Involuntarily, tears began to wet her eyes. Seth flinched upon noticing the glassiness to her eyes. "Don't cry," he urged her carefully. "Why are you crying?"

A lump swelled inside her throat. She bit down hard on her bottom lip to stop it from quivering. "Mari," he cooed breathlessly. "Mari." Her nickname rolled off his tongue gracefully right before he pressed their mouths together once more. It was much softer. She hiccuped into his mouth. Her hands roamed over his shoulders before settling around his neck.

"I love you," she sobbed. He fought to wipe away every tear pelting down her face, but there were too many. Another knock sounded from behind them, much more impatient than the first. "I love you, Seth Gecko. I will love you until the sun dies out, okay? And even then, my heart will still long for you."

To anyone else, her declaration would have been seen dramatic. It was obvious that's what her father thought as he pulled open the front door. His hand enclosed around her bicep and he gave her a sharp tug over the threshold. But Seth needed to hear those words. Because while she expected to see him the next day, he knew that this was the last time. It was the last time he'd feel her lips on his, her hands on his skin, hear her voice in his ears.

"I'll see you later, okay?" he called out to her right before the door slammed in his face. Seth Gecko made himself a liar that night. And he hated himself for it.

rumi says . . .
hello, hello, and welcome to neon moon!

here we have a little backstory with seth
and marisol. it should make things that
happen later on be more understandable.

also, can we just talk about the banner?
i am so amazed by it and insanely proud
of myself for making it?? like, the coloring,
the details. it also definitely helps that both
of the models are hot as fuck. :)

i hope you guys enjoyed the prologue!
feedback is seriously appreciated!